Lex 100 - Fladgate LLP

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Fladgate LLP

16 Great Queen Street London WC2B 5DG

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The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'The chance to get involved in a range of matters'; 'wanted to train at a medium-sized firm and to ensure that I actually did more than photocopying!'; 'its client base'; 'I liked its size'; 'I got a great impression of the firm from the assessment day'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'You are giving real responsibility'; 'I have had lots of drafting experience and very little photocopying/scanning experience'; 'I get a lot more responsibility'; 'the supervision is excellent'; 'a lot more client contact'; 'I run my own matters (with supervision)'

Best thing about the firm? 'The friendliness and approachability of all the staff'; 'the partners are all willing to give you their time and explain things to you'; 'the people that I work with are great'; 'everybody knows you, whatever level you are'; 'your input is valuable'; 'our new offices on Great Queen Street'

Worst thing about the firm? 'The social life leaves much to be desired'; 'it is very top heavy'; 'the firm does not have a very active social life'

Best moment? 'Sharing champagne with the partners after the completion of a difficult transaction'; 'after completion, the client sent each member of the team the most delicious goody bag of delights, each with a personalised thank you'; 'being present in court when we achieved a really great result for a client in a case that had been rumbling on for years'

Worst moment? 'Any completion that goes past midnight is a bad moment!'; 'dictating a never-ending disclosure list for hours on end all through the night!'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Covent Garden-based firm Fladgate is well regarded for its private client work and in the UK's top 100 firms. The firm regularly undertakes complex corporate and property transactions and does a lot of work with entrepreneurs.

The star performers

Commercial property; Flotations: small and mid-cap; M&A: smaller deals up to £50m; Property finance.

The deals

Advised PeerTV on its IPO and admission to AIM; acted for GÃ¼ on the multimillion-pound sale of Noble Foods; advising a German bank on its review of customer conditions relating to an electronic banking system; advised Affinity Media UK, the online games and entertainment company, in a dispute with another online games website.

The clients

ALControl; Boosey & Hawkes; Eddie Jordan.Force India; Fourth Hospitality; G2 Media; Random House; Revolver Films; Ruag Schweiz

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2010: £21.8m (-8% from 2009) Profits per equity partner: £370,000 (-9%)

The Verdict

Fladgate is aLex 100 Winner for manageable stress levels and quality of work. The firm emits good vibes right from the start, ('I got a great impression from the assessment day') and trainees enjoy being one of a small intake in a medium-sized firm so they are 'not just a number' and get the chance to 'shine'. As well as being given a higher level of responsibility than their peers ('I have a lot more client contact and run my own matters (with supervision)') they also gain 'a lot of drafting experience' instead of spending hours photocopying. They are reassured by the 'excellent' supervision and regular encouragement from partners to experience different areas of client work ('good balanced training in whichever seat you are in'). The 'friendly and approachable' staff also makes for a good atmosphere and the new offices on Great Queen Street have been a hit. Trainees say that the social life within the firm isn't great at the moment but there are reports that the social committee is looking to improve this. Be prepared, as there will be completions that go on into the early hours of the morning and dictating disclosure lists will be a necessity, however 'sharing champagne with the partners after the completion of a difficult transaction' certainly helps to redress the balance. If you are looking for a smaller City firm which will focus on honing your skills in a friendly environment then take a look at Fladgate.